"Influence & marriage" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner: Katie Findlay MSC 26/2.14.16 |
| Archive | National Library of South Africa, Special Collections, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | 29 May 1880 |
| Address From | Lily Kloof, Halesowen, Eastern Cape |
| Address To | |
| Who To | Catherine ('Katie') Findlay nee Schreiner |
| Other Versions | Cronwright-Schreiner 1924: 8; Rive 1987: 24-5 |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to the National Library of South Africa (NLSA), Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Special Collections.
|
1Lily Kloof
2May 29 / 80
3
4My dear Katie
5
6I have let your last letter lie rather long unanswered but in truth I
7am very busy & do not find much time for writing. I am in school or
8helping the children to prepare their lessons the greater part of the
9day & in the evening am often more inclined to lie down & read than to
10sit writing letters.
11
12I hope you are all still well. I am very glad that dear Mamma seems so
13happy in Grahamstown. I am sure Lilly means to be kind to her.
14
15I hope you write to Mamma pretty often, for I know she is always very
16glad of a letter from you. We are having bitterly cold weather here
17among the mountains. Already we have had two heavy falls of snow about
18the house. But the cold suits me well & I am much better than I was
19all the sup summer.
20
21The Fouche’s are very kind to me, & I grow more & more fond of the
22children who are very warm hearted & loving, & not at all more stupid
23than English children.
24
25Give my best love to Katie, & all the little ones. I suppose George &
26Hudson are still at Cape Town. Do you often go into Fraserburg? Do the
27Smiths still live there?
28
29Write soon, dear sister, to me and believe me always to remain
30Yours affectly,
31Olive Schreiner
32
33P.S. I send you a likeness of myself; if you have one like it already
34please give it to Katie. I’m sorry it has got scratched.
35
2May 29 / 80
3
4My dear Katie
5
6I have let your last letter lie rather long unanswered but in truth I
7am very busy & do not find much time for writing. I am in school or
8helping the children to prepare their lessons the greater part of the
9day & in the evening am often more inclined to lie down & read than to
10sit writing letters.
11
12I hope you are all still well. I am very glad that dear Mamma seems so
13happy in Grahamstown. I am sure Lilly means to be kind to her.
14
15I hope you write to Mamma pretty often, for I know she is always very
16glad of a letter from you. We are having bitterly cold weather here
17among the mountains. Already we have had two heavy falls of snow about
18the house. But the cold suits me well & I am much better than I was
19all the sup summer.
20
21The Fouche’s are very kind to me, & I grow more & more fond of the
22children who are very warm hearted & loving, & not at all more stupid
23than English children.
24
25Give my best love to Katie, & all the little ones. I suppose George &
26Hudson are still at Cape Town. Do you often go into Fraserburg? Do the
27Smiths still live there?
28
29Write soon, dear sister, to me and believe me always to remain
30Yours affectly,
31Olive Schreiner
32
33P.S. I send you a likeness of myself; if you have one like it already
34please give it to Katie. I’m sorry it has got scratched.
35
Notation
Rive's (1987) version omits part of this letter and is also in a number of respects incorrect. Cronwright-Schreiner's (1924) version is incorrect in various ways.
Rive's (1987) version omits part of this letter and is also in a number of respects incorrect. Cronwright-Schreiner's (1924) version is incorrect in various ways.